Recent update
- Where I found Whitman!
- Conclusion
- Fort Greene, for Dec 01, oatakan
- America by Whitman and Jeans by Levi Strauss, oatakan for Nov 17th
- Old, Cold and Cool Place by oatakan, Nov 10
- Whitman talks to You! Oatakan for Nov 3rd
- Whitman’s Brooklyn
- Oatakan for October 20th (Sea of Long Island)
- Oct 13th, oatakan
- oatakan, oct 6th, Whitman’s Manhattan
oatakan, oct 6th, Whitman’s Manhattan
October 6th, 2009 by oatakan
Oatakan, Oct 6th, Whitman’s Manhattan
Based on the readings I found that, descriptive essence of Manhattan, the beautiful city of New York. The readings of Insider and Outsider generally written about New York City and people who lives who migrates to New York around end of 19th century. I was able to see sort of connection between readings and Whitman’s Manhattan. Edgar Allan Poe is the only writer between the other writers that I knew, who lived in Manhattan once.
“Mannahatta
My city’s fit and noble name resumed,
Choice aboriginal name, with marvelous beauty, meaning,
A rocky founded island-shores where ever gaily dash the coming, going, hurrying sea waves.”
Sands at Seventy p635
Also in the part of City of Orgies Whitman writes about Manhattan,
”
CITY of orgies, walks and joys,
City whom that I have lived and sung in your midst will one day make you illustrious,
Not the pageants of you, not your shifting tableaus, your specta-cles, repay me,
Not the interminable rows of your houses, nor the ships at the wharves,
Nor the processions in the streets, nor the bright windows with goods in them,
Nor to converse with learn’d persons, or bear my share in the soiree or feast;
Not those, but as I pass O Manhattan, your frequent and swift flash of eyes offering me love,
Offering response to my own—these repay me,
Lovers, continual lovers, only repay me. P235
Relevant to these lines, looking at Manhattan’s history would be useful and I found great information about Manhattan.
Mannahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City
May 20 through Oct 12
When Henry Hudson and a small crew of Dutch and English sailors rode the flood tide up a great estuarine river on the North American continent on September 12, 1609, they were looking for a passage to Oriental riches. Instead, they found something much more valuable. Mannahatta’s natural wealth—the old growth forests, stately wetlands, rolling hills, abundant wildlife, people who lived in tune with nature—was prodigious and deep. The local people called the island “Mannahatta,” which may have meant “island of many hills.” It would later be known as Manhattan and would become as densely filled with people and avenues as it once teemed with trees and streams.
Mannahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City will reveal the island of Mannahatta at the time of Henry Hudson’s arrival—a fresh, green new world at the moment of discovery. Through cutting edge multi-media and historical artifacts and maps, Mannahatta/Manhattan will re-imagine the quiet, wooded island at the mouth of a great river that was destined to become one of the greatest cities on Earth. Moreover, Mannahatta/Manhattan will challenge visitors to view the city of today as a place where the relationship between nature and people is at its most important and to understand that the principles of diversity, interdependence, and interrelativity operate in a modern mega-city much as they do in nature. In doing so, the exhibition will contribute something new to the history of New York—a view of its ecological origin—and in that contribution, shape the future as well.
In addition to these, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry is another example that shows Whitman’s love to New York. Therefore, I am posting some pictures that I have taken on ferryboat while crossing from Manhattan to Brooklyn, additionally some historic pictures of Broadway. I wanted to quote some lines from readings too in order to restate other writer’s point of view for the city’s beauty; unfortunately, I can’t open readings pdf files at the moment.
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